Orchard Breeze
by Turbotail88
Summary: Everything is relaxed, everything is calm, like a breeze swirling around an orchard and caressing its apples. AU, SUPER FLUFFY LIKE SERIOUSLY, Ymir/Krista


The sun shone brightly upon a house located on the side of a clearing. It was a small house, surrounded by colourful flowers and an orchard that stretched forever. There was a set of white stairs that led up to a creaky porch. On the porch sat a swing, rusty from age and the cushions pressed from use. There were several flower pots hanging off the railing, and at the base of the house were windmill flowers gently following the breeze.

The door was a combination of screen and wood; one plastic, screen door to keep out the bugs and a heavy, wooden door to keep out the cold. There was an ornament placed on the front of the door, welcoming guests and the curious alike.

The birds chirped and the trees rustled with the wind. A thud was heard every few seconds, and a car passed by the house in a hurry. The atmosphere was warm and relaxing - until two muddy blurs stomped up the stairs and threw the door open.

"Mom! Dad! We're home!" one of them shouted.

"Hellooooo!" the other one called out playfully.

They stood at the entrance, fidgeting and grinning in anticipation. When nothing answered their calls they sighed in disappointment and carefully crept through their home. They passed by the living room - which was adorned with a fireplace, a thick rug, a rocking chair, a loveseat and a large sofa – and avoided the kitchen.

The kitchen – which was comprised of a cooking island, a sink built in to the counter, a fridge and an oven with a stove – was connected to the living room, and provided access to the second level of the home. The unidentifiable figures trudged up the stairs, giggling and shoving each other. When they reached a bedroom door at the end of the hall, they peeked through the crack and squealed in delight.

Ymir grumbled and pulled Krista tighter to her. The sun started to filter through their blinds and strike against the brunette's eyelids. It irritated her beyond belief. She grimaced, eyes still shut, and nuzzled her cheek further into the pillow under her head and just above Krista's crown of hair. Her hair fell over her face in reproach and tickled her nostrils. She frowned heavily and blew a breath of exasperation.

Krista, in turn, shifted slightly in her sleep and snuggled closer to Ymir. This made the brunette smile and tighten her arms on the smaller woman. The spying children giggled and slowly stepped away. They continued to the bathroom across the hall and proceeded to clean each other. Once the figures were free of mud, they were now identifiable as two little girls, aged ten and eight, with differing features taking after their parents.

The eldest retained Ymir's freckled and brown hair, but her eyes were reminiscent of her birth mother. The youngest held the innocence of her mother's blond hair and pale complexion, however her brown eyes twinkled with mischief.

They returned to their parents' bedroom and entered cautiously. The youngest snickered as the eldest pulled out two cups attached from the bottoms by a string from under their parents' bed. They each took a seat on either side of the bed and put the cup around their mouths.

"Mom and Dad are sleeping in again.." the eldest sighed.

"I know, Emma. But at least we can talk like this!" the younger exclaimed.

"Shush! Not so loud, Julia! Do you wanna wake them up?" Emma scolded quietly.

"Right, sorry.."

"Just keep quiet."

"Yeah, keep quiet."

The dull voice startled them both and they turned to see Ymir sitting up, staring at them with sleepy, but amused eyes. She cradled Krista against her chest, who snoozed softly in her lap. Both children looked at their father in shame and kicked their feet against the wooden floor.

"What the he.. heck," Ymir coughed lightly, "are you two doing?"

"Well, Julia wanted to go play in the orchard, and when I asked Mom, she said okay, so I took her. Then, we got all muddy because we fell into a pit, so we came back home, but you and Mom were asleep, so I got us all cleaned up. And.. Julia doesn't wanna go downstairs without you or Mom," Emma explained, grinning at her younger sister.

"Scaredy-cat," Ymir teased.

"Am not!" Julia snapped.

"Shut it! You're gonna wake your mom!" Ymir grit from between her teeth.

"I was already awake," Krista sighed.

"Mom! Daddy's being mean to me again!" Julia wailed, leaping into her mother's arms for comfort. Krista received her daughter with warmth and love, and her eyes flickered between Ymir – who tried to appear innocent – and Emma.

"Ymir.." Krista began.

"Tch.. damn brat," she grumbled.

"Don't say that! How many times do I have to–"

"Here we go.."

"Did you just..!"

"Hey, Mom, Dad, can you play a game with us?"

The bickering couple turned to their eldest and stared at the simple toy in her hand. Emma held one cup in each hand and passed one to her younger sister, who smiled and put it to her ear. Julia giggled at Emma's joke and their parents exchanged an amused look.

"Sure," Krista agreed happily, "we'll play! Right, Ymir?"

Ymir smiled despite herself. "Yeah, let's play."

And so the family was separated into two groups, one on each side of the bed. Ymir had decided to get a longer string in order to permit more space between the two groups. She sat with Emma, and they both thought of silly things to tell the other two girls, who giggled at their jokes.

Julia raised the cup to her lips and spoke excitedly. "Roger, roger! We have a problem!"

"What?"

"Roger, roger! We have a problem!"

"Who's Roger? Do I have to talk with him?"

Julia giggled at her father's question and leaned against her mother, who smiled and kissed her temple. "Silly, Roger isn't a person! It's just a word we say. You so silly, Daddy."

"And you're still a brat, just like your mom."

"I heard that," Krista interrupted dryly.

"Good, 'cause you were supposed to."

Krista grinned and asked for the cup, to which Julia eagerly complied. "Oooohh! Mommy's gonna kick your butt, Daddy!"

"As if this squirt could do anything..."

"Uh huh.. and this squirt is in charge of your food, so watch out."

"You're gonna poison this handsome beast?"

"No, I'm going to put a sedative and tie you to a tree in your sleep."

"Funny."

The two girls giggled next to their parents and watched them with sleepy eyes. Soon, they succumbed to the pleasant tiredness of sleep, the kind of exhaustion that results after an accomplished event. Ymir and Krista, however, continued to talk through the cups.

"I love you," Krista murmured gently.

"I love you, too," Ymir chuckled.

"I love you!" Krista repeated firmly.

Ymir paused for a bit, then grinned. "I love you, too!" she replied, imitating Krista's tone. The blonde smiled and leaned against the bed.

"Do you want to stop?"

"No, let's keep going.."

"The girls are sleeping."

"Yeah, Emma's drooling.."

"Aww.. well, Julia's snoring lightly. She definitely takes after you."

"Yeah."

They listened to each other's breathing, and eventually, put the paper cup phone models down to climb into their bed. They dug into the blankets and slept with their daughters in between. Their gazes met above the children's heads.

Ymir grinned and winked at Krista, who smiled and reached around to intertwine their fingers.


End file.
